Relatively small electrically and/or hydraulically actuated snow plow blade assemblies designed for temporary attachment to pickup trucks and other vehicles of similar size and weight are of course well known. As more and more private roadways and parking areas are constructed for shopping malls, condominiums, Public attractions, etc., more and more of these smaller plows are being used in order to clear such parking areas of snow in lieu of such service by larger municipal, county or state plow vehicles.
It is difficult for most such private operations to justify a single vehicle or fleet of vehicles solely dedicated to use as snow plows. Most such small plows are mounted on pickup trucks, and the trucks are used for a myriad of other purposes when not engaged in the plowing of snow. The additional mass and dimensions of even a small plow mounted on the front of a typical pickup truck is a significant handicap to the utility of such a vehicle for other purposes, resulting in reduced fuel economy, much greater stress and strain on attachment components, frame members and other components at the front of the vehicle, poorer maneuverability, and other problems. Thus, typically such plows are removed when it is anticipated that the plow will not be needed for some period of time, perhaps a day or more.
Even in the case of such a relatively small plow the devices are quite heavy, generally weighing some few hundred pounds. While most of the mass is in the blade area itself, the attachment arms are also quite massive. In order to attach and remove a plow from a vehicle, it is generally necessary for one person to help support the attachment arms of the plow, while another maneuvers the vehicle into proper position and then assists with the attachment of the plow to the vehicle. In many cases, it is difficult to find additional help for this operation, particularly during night or early morning operations when a single vehicle driver may be the only person in the area in order to provide snow removal before others arrive. As can be seen, it often becomes necessary to leave the plow attached to the vehicle in order to allow use under such circumstances, thus handicapping the vehicle for other uses.
What is needed is a stand for the support of a snow plow blade and its accompanying attachment arms, which will support the attachment components properly and thus allow a single person to maneuver the vehicle into position and also to attach the plow to the vehicle without additional help. Such a stand must proVide adjustment for different plows and vehicles, and is preferably sufficiently small and light so as to allow carriage of the stand within the bed of a pickup truck which might be used as a plow vehicle. The stand should also provide guidance means for the driver of the vehicle to properly align the vehicle with the plow stand and plow for ease of attachment.